OUGD503 - Substantial project - Adobe Brief - Anxiety/Depression - Model Image Research

I have found another photgrpher that created some amazing shoots by modelling what exactly anxiety and depression looks like when the body is having to deal with the emotions day to day.

The images have cleverly captured a model posing with and without objects to express the different feelings and emotions that depression and anxiety causes. Alongside the images are very beautiful and modernised. The colours used in the actual images are kept to black and white, which really connects with the subject pf the photos and also helps to keep the message of each image as clear as possible. It also helps people who do not suffer with the same feelings and emotions to understand the images more. 

I feel that It would be a good idea to contact the artist and ask her a few questions about her work, and see if she herself s suffers with the same mental illness or if she created herb work by examining other people and asking g questions, either way it would be really useful to know weather on not her research is personal or primary. 

 http://www.upworthy.com/12-grave-photos-that-capture-how-depression-and-anxiety-can-feel

I really love how these images create understanding so easily, and they are beautiful, they are exactly the kind of images that I would like to produce for the adobe brief, because they seem to work so well with the subject. 

OUGD503 - Substantial project - Adobe Brief - Anxiety/Depression

I wanted to take a bit of time to move away from looking at books and images within books and the description that comes along with them. Instead I decided to go online and search around for other artists that have decided to transform emotions linked with anxiety and depression into an art form.

I have come across quote a few different websites were artists have done just that. The first really inspirational artists that I came across was an illustrator who lives with anxiety and depression just like myself and used his illustration skills to express what it feels like to live with these emotions 24/7.

I really love this artists designs, However I feel that I will plan to create something more natural looking and image based rather than an illustration, but still this artists designs give me so much inspiration towards my own designs. 

These designs even make me laugh at the fact that they are so relatable. The artist has really put an unexpected enjoyable spin on the above moods and emotions that are linked to anxiety and depression. As sadly funny this may seem it does give a sense of relief that someone else out there understands there same feelings. 

This is the same connection that I want to achieve with my designs. I would like people to look at them and feel a connection to the designs. 

New! - OUGD503 - Substantial Project Ideas

For this project I will be researching, selecting and working on my own briefs from various competition websites that connect with people and designers across the nation. 

I will be required to select one large substantial brief along with a small selection of less substantial briefs which I will be working on over my own managed time. This project will help me to become a more self sufficient and independent designer that has the skills to take on my own choice of projects without the full guidance from my lectures, but will be there to help me with my chosen projects if I should need it. 

To start off this brief I will start off my choosing a substantial project of my choice, there are a number of different websites that I have been guided to from my lecturer that would be appropriate to use for this project. I have first began searching through the website D&AD.co.uk

I have come across quite a few interesting projects, however there is one in particular that interested me the most.
Adobe have released a project which asks designers to create a set of 3 posters or designs which visually communicate an important personal self taught message which can be used to inspire others. 

I have recently been thinking about the subject that my posters will be on. I would like to design something that is personal to me as well as inspiring other people. 

I wanted to list a few subjects that I would be comfortable applying to this project. 

One of which is dealing with depression and anxiety. Since this kind of mental illness is something that I have suffered with for many years myself, I feel that it is also a very apparent illness that is growing in the modern age. More and more people are being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and it is a very touchy subject that many people including myself do not like to talk about and discuss. It is much easier for the sufferer to keep and deal withy the problems alone rather than seek any help, even if that is what is best. 

I have managed to pick up a book which takes the form of depression and anxiety and transforms the form into art. Visuals of what depression in the image of a person looks like. Still shots and positions, actions which sufferers of this mental illness are very common to act out themselves. I feel that this boom will be very useful in understanding the type of images that are used to express the form of depression and anxiety.

' The Aesthetics of disengagement by Christine Ross' 

The book which I managed to pick up does contain a lot of images which closely match the form of depression and being disconnected from society in some way or form . However these images a very abstract and maybe pull away slightly from the subject that I want to concentrate on. I feel that I need to find something which portrays images in which I can also understand myself before using it as a tool to inspire or help others. 

I will upload some of the photos from this book shortly 

New! - OUGD502 - Secret 7 Project

I usually take on the secret 7 project every year when it comes to individual projects. I do enjoy the secret 7 project and applying my designs to a selected sone that I usually have never heard of before. 

Although none of my designs have ever been chosen to enter into the final of secret 7 designs, I am determined to give it another go this year and really put in my maximum effort to try and get a place in the final designs. 

I will start by carrying out some much needed research into the history of Album cover designs and what is needed to create something really effective. A lot of the designs that I have seen over the past couple of years in secret 7 have been very strong and individualistic designs, I feel that when I compare the winning designs to my own, I lack the difference that can separate my work from the winning designs. 

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What I plan to change in my design process for Secret 7 2017 is the way I work during the early stages of the project. I would usually just go straight into the design which in my mind could very well be the reason that my finished piece is not strong enough to be picked as one of the potential winners, instead take some ideas from the research that I carry out before I even decide on the song that I want to work with. 

I feel that starting the project out this way will help me to think of better ideas for the project. 

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Unfortunately since Secret 7 2017 is not out yet, there is no possible way of finding out which songs will be available to choose from to begin the new deigns. however that does not stop me from starting the project by being the research process. 

I will start by picking out some useful books that look into more successful designs of cover art. Not only will this give me inspiration but it will also put me into the positive mood to begin this project from a strong starting point.

The first book I will be looking at it 'Sleeves of Desire'

This book is completely filled with amazing sleeve designs that really capture the imagination and the eye. It gives me a lot of inspiration into the high level of work that I could produce for this project. 

The second book that I want to look at is 'The Best of Disc Art' by Charlotte Rivers

OUGD504 - Studio Brief 02 - Design for Screen

I have been given the project to create my own Screen based design, this could potentially be a website or an app, or some kind of digital service that can be used by people.

During this project I will be considering my target audience all the way through as well as the needs of the application and what people will use it for. That way I will be able to design something that there is a need and want for. 

I have recently discussed with my tutor for the project about possibly using the early designs of my own personal brand through the creation of a website and possible mobile app. It was agreed that using my brand creation as my project would be a good idea.

My brand is called Billy Thomas Patrick Designs, However I am still not yet 100% on the name yet as it does seem quite long and I would probably prefer something shorter and easier to say. 

When discussing the need and want for my project design, I would like to go ahead and talk about the project and my brand as the 'company'. 
This helps me to discuss the need and want for the company. The company needs a website to function and connect to clients, At the same time the company may also need a mobile app, which would make it even easier for clients to access the company. 

I currently already have a completed logo for the company which will make a good starting point to build designs fro the website and app. 

OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - Book Cover Style and design choice

Thinking about the style of my book cover, what my audience will look at first when they see the book. I have recently found it difficult to think of a way I can express the overall modernist theme of the book as well as expressing the images of London inside the book.

A lot of modernist designs that I have come across will usually opt for a thick card sometimes even thick gloss card for the cover which provides importance and protection to the books interior.

As for the cover design, after carrying out some research there are a lot of designs that use minimalist images and text to achieve an beautiful design with a message. I would like to apply the same design style to my book cover.

I came across a website which had a sm all collection of very modernist cover designs which perfectly matched the ideas which I had in my own mind. 

FlavorWire.com

http://flavorwire.com/292165/25-awesome-minimalist-book-covers/25

I really think these cover designs are just brilliant. They express so much information using so little effort. Some of the designs work so perfectly just by strategically placing either text or image together which then expresses the subject of the book. 

I also love the minimal colour use on each design, it allows for a very clean and easy to understand design which is essential for catching the attention of the books audience.

I also came across 'engraving' which is an option if the designer wants to use less ink and create a more 'perfect' feel and image for the book.

Below are a few more design which are created by engraving designs onto leather which interest me quite a lot.

I love the designs of this small collection, maybe not so much the ones the choice of colour for these designs but the intricate engraving is lovely, and could possibly be applied to my own book cover.

I also came across some engraving, this style shows the covers of each book which are cut into to make an image or pieces of text, these designs to me seem very modernistic. However the process looks extremely long and would probably take some practice to perfect but either way I love the designs. 

As for my final choice of cover design I feel I may try to practice my skills at engraving however I think I will opt for full ink use to display my images or text on the front cover of the book.

OUGD504 - Studio Brief 01 - Book Design Evaluation

After researching into the world of scrapbooking and at the same time researching the modern style of photography books and similar designs I have decided that I will be taking a more modern approach to my own book design.

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The book will feature images of London from various different areas. the subject of the book will be aimed at tourists. Possibly to act as a small handbook filled with images that tourists will find during their stay in London. I feel that the slimline book will feature popular photos from around familiar areas close to the London city centre.
For people who are just looking for a small amount of essence of London then I think the insides pages of this book would be quite interesting to this people.


For then design of the, because there are not very any pages inside the book, I feel it will be seen as more of a handbook, something slimline that is easy to carry around in a bag. instead of something much bigger that would probably contain a lot more information rather than more images.

Below are some examples of how I imagine my design to look

However because I will be aiming for a more simplistic design the images above are good for an example of what they style of the book will be like but not the finished design. Looking back on earlier research I feel that sticking to pure white colour is best to achieve a minimalist design.

From this it would make it easy to build from when designing the engraved title. 

The cover of my book design was originally supposed to be gloss but because of lack of time I was unable to get the cover design printed onto gloss stock, So instead I had to opt for gloss paper which is not a reflective as gloss card and definitely not as defensive however it was the closest option I had.

The cover design In kept simplistic and similar to the designs above, which I feel is most effective to achieve a modern style. The image is of the London Eye, a very famous London landmark which I thought would make a nice touch to the cover. Overall the design of the book is quite thin because of the amount of pages, which does make the book seem less heavy but the positives are that It will pass as a handbook design.